I´m about to buy my second rig. I would like to know what canopy I schould buy. I have app. 250 jumps and since my 50th jump I´ve jumped a Falcon 195. I would like a new canopy, and I´ve tried the PdF Electra 170 and it´s not a problem to land and control it. I would like to try the Electra 150, but there aren´t anyone who has got ont that I can try. Also I would like to try a Safire, but I haven´t had the cahnce. What size would be right for me? I would like to have a canopy which I´m not going to downsize in a long time. My weight is 200 lb. with clothes.

All depends on how fast you want to go and how well you can land in all conditions. At your body weight you'd be loading a 150 at almost 1.5... that's a pretty hefty wing loading. Some things to consider before buying something that size -

You said an Electra 170 was no problem to land - did you jump it in no wind conditions? How about into a tight landing area? Did you try landing into a slight crosswind?

What kind of canopy pilot are you - aggressive or conservative? Do you know how to do braked turns? Do you fly with front risers? How's your accuracy? Can you put your Falcon anyplace you want to in the landing area? Do you enjoy "turf surfing" landings? Would you mind having to run out most of your landings? (At 1.5 you'll likely be running out all no wind landings on any canopy) How often do you jump? If you don't jump a LOT then you might want to consider not going with a 150 - that wingloading pretty much requires that you stay very current.

Anyone who's seen my posts about canopy sizing knows that I preach conservatism... for good reason. Pain really sucks. Small mistakes that are landable/walkawayable on your Falcon are way more likely to create pain if you are flying a 1.5 wingloading - are you ready to be perfect on every jump?

All that said... contact Icarus Canopies and see if they can send you a demo Safire to play with - as far as I know demos are available in the US and Europe. If you haven't already, check the reviews and older threads about the Safire here on dropzone.com. Personally I really liked the way the Safire flies but never could dial in the flare (but that was more because I suck at landing than because of the canopy).

My impression of the canopy is good. Some complain about a funny flair on it. The one thing I might be able to say about that, is I think that it may lose lift just a little quicker at the end of the flair. I only say that, because it seems the the stilleto pilots, even if loaded higher than me, don't have to run it out as much.

If you load it to 1.5, be athletic, because if you don't have a little wind, you will be running. I like it a lot though, no complaints. Nice openings, and flys nice, swoops good too.

contact Icarus Canopies and see if they can send you a demo Safire to play with

I have a little update on the Icarus demo program...my husband (Landmissle) was in the Icarus queue for a Crossfire demo for later this year. He placed the request back in January, I believe, and the wait was going to be about 7 months. Well, last week he received a phone call from Icarus saying that they are no longer supplying demo canopies directly to customers. If Steve wants to fly a Crossfire, he'll have to demo it through a dealer (ActionAir in our area). Reason given was that Icarus couldn't keep up with the number of demo requests for their canopies.